surprised by wonder

The Forging of Firm Friendships

2009-11-09T02:33:00.001+08:00

A very dear bro MSNed me just now to feedback to me about something that I had done a few days ago, that offended him. So I apologised... and he replied, "Ok :) Now satan can't do anything to hurt our [friendship]."

Wow. This is such a beautiful Godly attitude that this dear bro has.

Matthew 18:15
[Jesus said:]"If your brother sins against you, go and show him his fault, just between the two of you. If he listens to you, you have won your brother over.

I love the servanthood attitude implicit in this verse. "...you have won your brother over."

And this bro was so sweet about it! If you see him in person, you won't naturally think of him as a "humble" person (by the world's definition) because of his outspokenness and perhaps brashness, but really, I find him a genuinely humble person who loves God and loves others. :) And I've seen nice guys who are anything but humble. :(

Who says that men are not as good as women, when it comes to building strong relationships? :) This is something that men can excel in and set an example for the women in church: the kind of courageous love that is willing to meet up and talk it over face-to-face, instead of evading and keeping it superficial to avoid conflict. I say this as a natural conflict-avoider.

It's natural to want to avoid conflicts, but frankly, the finest and strongest steel comes not from a one-time casting, but from repeated heating, hammering, tempering and forging, that surfaces all the intrinsic flaws and cracks in the steel and then hammers them out of the steel. So it is with authentic conflict-tempered comradeships that endure and triumph over the battlefields of the Christian faith. "As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another."

2009-11-08T09:46:00.002+08:00

Ecclesiastes 4
8 There was a man all alone;
he had neither son nor brother.
There was no end to his toil,
yet his eyes were not content with his wealth.
"For whom am I toiling," he asked,
"and why am I depriving myself of enjoyment?"
This too is meaningless—
a miserable business!
9 Two are better than one,
because they have a good return for their work:
10 If one falls down,
his friend can help him up.
But pity the man who falls
and has no one to help him up!

Just feeling quite alone in HopeKids ministry now. At least thank God for Spencer, who has a really eager heart to serve God, very faithful and supportive and sweet. :)

Maybe I should return to HopeKinders ministry after this year... see where God wants me to go.

Edited to add:
Wow, thank God for His timely encouragement :) Hong Teck passed me a birthday card and present today via Spencer. Actually he wanted to pass to me last week, but I didn't go down for service as I was supposed to have DMM.

And Hong Teck's card was very encouraging. These words really encouraged me a lot:

"Your faithfulness, contribution and genuine love for the kids impacts (sic) the kids in ways that cannot be understood in this side of heaven. Keep on keeping on. Your labor in the Lord is not in vain."

Hmm. Yah. Thank God so much for His perfect timing! =)

2009-11-08T01:40:00.000+08:00

I was reading a beautiful post by Amazing Grace Church on Facebook. And this verse Matthew 6:33 struck me: "But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well."

Struck me about one of my birthday wishes this year: "To grow in righteousness."

And I think I see God's gracious hand working in my life so real. He put in my heart a renewed desire to seek first His kingdom. And now He's putting in my heart a deeper desire to seek His righteousness. Wow! Praise God. So glad to experience the reality of the Bible in my life. God's Word is not merely a set of printed words. They are living and active! :)

2009-11-07T03:01:00.000+08:00

I was reading and studying Matthew 9... reading the Amplified Version.

And when I read the whole passage, I saw how Jesus so earnestly went to those who really needed Him, be it spiritual salvation, or physical healing or even raising dead people.

And I saw with my own eyes how desperate so many people were... be it a paralysed man, or a corrupt tax farmer, or an agonized ruler who had lost his daughter, or two desperate blind men or a badly bleeding woman... regardless of social status, or health, or wealth or intelligence... all of them had one thing in common - they were desperate for Jesus.

And Jesus responded to them with so much compassion.

And when I read these words, they broke my heart:

"And Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the good news (the Gospel) of the kingdom and curing all kinds of disease and every weakness and infirmity.

When He saw the throngs, He was moved with pity and sympathy for them, because they were bewildered (harassed and distressed and dejected and helpless), like sheep without a shepherd. [Zech 10:2]

Then He said to His disciples, The harvest is indeed plentiful, but the laborers are few.

So pray to the Lord of the harvest to [m]force out and thrust laborers into His harvest.

There are so many people hurting and lost and in need... be they rich or poor, everyone has something that only Jesus can help them with... all of them were at their wits' ends.

And the thing is... you can't but help see the apathy... no, even worse... the cold-heartedness of the religious leaders, who were supposed to be ministering God's mercy to the people... and wah lau, every step Jesus made, these idiots kept making lame comments and saying things like, "You're not doing it OUR way..." Blocking God's moves at every step.

No wonder Jesus was pretty -____-'''. But thank God... like Maradona weaving in and out among the English defenders in the 1986 World Cup, Jesus managed to get through the kayu Pharisees and score His "Hand of God"... =)

This passage breaks my heart. It makes me question myself. Whose side am I really on? Am I tendering mercy to those in need? Or am I staying within my own religious zone? Lord Jesus, I want to be on YOUR side. Not my side...

37Then He said to His disciples, The harvest is indeed plentiful, but the laborers are few.

38So pray to the Lord of the harvest to [m]force out and thrust laborers into His harvest.

"Balance Is Not Worth The Pursuit."

2009-11-06T12:05:00.008+08:00

"Be very active in the day and very monastic at night, because balance is not worth the pursuit." - Hong Teck

I like this one! (If you think beyond the 'surface' meaning of the words, you see that this makes a lot of sense...)

'Cos God didn't intend for us to nervously teeter and totter on a daily tight-rope of sian rules and regulations; He intended us to run fierce and free, going out with joy and being led forth in peace, leaping like the deers, soaring on wings like eagles, running and not growing weary, walking and not becoming faint. To run from city to city, proclaiming good news with beautiful feet, through fire and water, fears and triumphs...

There's a time for everything, a season for every activity under heaven. :)

Because life with God isn't a monotonous plain of plain averages; life with God is an radical range of mountains and valleys, a polyphonic choir of highest joys and deepest sorrows. Life with Christ is never trouble-free... but it is EXCITING! :D

"And Our Father Is Younger Than We."

2009-11-06T01:34:00.001+08:00

“A child kicks its legs rhythmically through excess, not absence, of life. Because children have abounding vitality, because they are in spirit fierce and free, therefore they want things repeated and unchanged. They always say, “Do it again”; and the grown-up person does it again until he is nearly dead. For grown-up people are not strong enough to exult in monotony. But perhaps God is strong enough… It is possible that God says every morning, “Do it again,” to the sun; and every evening, “Do it again,” to the moon. It may not be automatic necessity that makes all daisies alike: it may be that God makes every daisy separately, but has never got tired of making them. It may be that He has the eternal appetite of infancy; for we have sinned and grown old, and our Father is younger than we.”
- G.K. Chesterton

True Maturity

2009-11-06T01:32:00.002+08:00

I realised I don't find it very natural or fun to share about things in chronological order... in fact, when my friends ask me how's my week, I literally have to take out my handphone calendar and scroll through my past events to remember what I did!

:P Talk about short-term memory...

But yah, really want to thank God for my bros and sisters who celebrated my birthday. I can barely believe I'm 28 years old. Somehow, it feels that my life has only just started... that I've only just started living, if you know what I mean.

LOL. I don't just want to add years to my life... I want to add life to my years! :)

Shared this with my boss some time ago, and she was quite impressed... one thing she remarked was that she finds me mature in my thinking, because not many people think that way - living only for the moment and just making a living, but not stopping to think about really living.

I was very pleasantly blessed by her words... and it struck me for two things:
i. Whoa! I'm making a good impression on her!
ii. Whoa! She is a wise woman indeed... who really wants to make her life count.
iii. What is true maturity then?

I've been thinking. What is true maturity? Is it about acting properly and so on? Being socially mature? Laughing and dancing and so on? Or being serious and solemn?

Think true maturity is not the absence of childlike behaviour, but rather, knowing the right times to laugh and to weep, to sing and to lament, to work and to play.

True maturity is an 80-years old man singing and skipping barefoot along the beach, singing "Jesus Loves Me", and teaching his 8-year old grandson to do the same.

True maturity is an 8-year old who knows the value of self-control, of holding himself back and not grabbing that marshmallow, in order that he may gain another marshmallow if he waits.

True maturity is a 28-year old man playing a fun and silly game of soccer/Nerf/etc with a boisterous group of 12-years old boys, in order to bond and influence these young men-to-be for the Kingdom of God, even though some people may cluck their tongues and mutter, "How childish!" (I'm talking about you, Weizhu.) :)

True maturity is being willing to sacrifice your dignity for the sake of bonding with those less dignified in the eyes of society.

True maturity is being willing to kneel down in front of a little child, so that he/she can talk to you at his/her eye level.

And true maturity is being willing to take the pain and effort to grow in wisdom and stature, so that you can better mentor younger men/women.

Hmm. I think... perhaps we may not enjoy connecting with children, because we think them too immature for our standards... then probably we are not mature enough to connect with them. :)

If we can't explain the kingdom of God simple enough for a little child to understand, then it means that we ourselves don't understand the kingdom of God well enough to understand.

Let's put aside childish ways, but let's also grow more childlike in faith, hope and love. :)

Anyway, yah, haha, I'll share about my bday... actually I found out that I lost my wallet on my bday! First thing in the morning! So went -____-'''... prayed and asked God to show me where my wallet went to. Then... I saw a picture of myself leaving my wallet in the MRT toilet while I was using the urinal. Pengz. So went over to the toilet, but didn't find it. $150+ gone...

But thank God, my mum blessed me with $200 that she'd won. Whoa! Praise God... v touched! :)

My CG treated me to pasta! :) And Huaqiang did something very sweet - he got my CG to send in their bday wishes... and he typed it all out... AND on top of that, he hand-folded each printed message into a heart! Wow... super-touched. =D

And Spencer bought me the Star Trek III DVD! The Search for Spock! Wow... very touched again. Haha...

And Eilton got some ppl from the HopeKids team to bless me with Astons and Ben & Jerry ice-cream... wow..

And Ellson organized a bday dinner for me as well... he asked me whom I want to invite... so I know that Huanyan, Shuyi and Minchen are from his unit... then Shuyi told Joyce about it, and Joyce came down too! :) Very very very touched. =D Shuyi chose a very nice card too... "we are children of the light," that's how the title went.

And Jon called me just to nuah with me... HAHA... THAT MEANS A LOT TO ME LOL...

Not to mention the lots of fb messages that I got...

So was sitting back and counting my blessings - literally... wow... feel deeply touched. I think over the years, it seems that quality time is actually my primary love language... and words a close second! :)

I think, reflecting on all this, this teaches me to be more and more appreciative of every person I come across. And some people you never really expected to bless you so much... actually went far beyond what you expected, and you got a deeper insight into their hearts and character.

And other people you kind of expected... forgot your birthday. LOL. No hard feelings lah... for some dear friends I know, their memories are such that if they can remember even your birthday date, that is really SPECIAL for them ok! :)

Sadness is Good For the Heart...

2009-11-05T12:58:00.001+08:00

... provided that it drives us back to Jesus, to re-examine our lives and cause us to walk right with God once again and reflect on the meaning and evaluate the direction of our lives... that we may walk in the ways He has intended us to go.

I woke up this morning feeling a bit depressed again, a bit melancholic. Perhaps it's partly due to the fact that I've been very busy the past few days... not enough sleep too. So wasn't able to entertain and bless my dear friends very much (thanks Ellson, Joyce, Huanyan, Shuyi and Minchen!) who had a birthday dinner for me at Cafe Cartel yesterday... sorry guys!

But as I sat there, I realised just how thirsty I was to seek God in prayer. So I started singing this song:

Lovely are Your dwelling places
Thirsty, I come after You
Jesus my joy, my reward, Your love's restoring my soul
Now I'm Yours and You are mine

Chorus:
I love You, I love You, I love You (X3)
And my heart will follow wholly after You

Jesus there is none like you
Righteous ruler of the earth
Nations will come and bow down
Name above all names I sing Your praises
And all I can say to you is...

About what triggered it, well, I realised that it's partly my personality as well. And I think the rain.

Anyway, I've been thinking about the role of emotions. I think it's not always wrong to be melancholic... especially if it drives you to Jesus. Because thirst was made for water, as C.S. Lewis put it so well. But if we try to slake our thirst with empty sugary pleasures... we will only find our thirst ever-increasing.

And I find that I write more freely and readily, and once in a while, I get to even do some drawing. :) Hee. Praise God for the joy of melancholy! (Ironic, yeah? But with Jesus, He not only can give us joy that nothing can ever take away... He can also take our sorrows and turn them into joy! Double-win!)

Personally, I find that my most intimate times with God tend to come when I am most melancholic and spiritually hungry. Though initially I find myself reluctant to come to God in prayer... when I do so, oh, how good His presence really is. Not merely feelings, but the joy of His truth and the comfort of sensing His strong and sturdy presence.

There is this Romanian proverb that says: "Only one who has been hungry knows how good bread truly tastes." So may it be too with our souls - the Bread of Life himself. Amen.

“Some people feel guilty about their anxieties and regard them as a defect of faith but they are afflictions, not sins. Like all afflictions, they are, if we can so take them, our share in the passion of Christ.” - C.S. Lewis

2009-11-05T12:08:00.002+08:00

Was typing an email to my ever-faithful drama team, advising them on some script changes. Then, I saw myself typing this line to them: "...know exactly what you want to communicate, then focus on how to communicate."

And I was reminded last time about how when I was seeking God for a vision back in 2005, He impressed on my heart that He was leading me in the direction of a ministry of helping others learn how to communicate better. And I was puzzled, 'cos of my inadequacies in communicating effectively.

But now it does seem that what God impressed on my heart years ago really turned out to be correct. :) Hee. Just that the gift's not always in the wrapping that I expected.

2009-11-05T10:24:00.001+08:00

"The moment you wake up each morning, all your wishes and hopes for the day rush at you like wild animals. And the first job each morning consists in shoving it all back; in listening to that other voice, taking that other point of view, letting that other, larger, stronger, quieter life coming flowing in."
C. S. Lewis (1898-1963)

2009-11-05T10:23:00.003+08:00

“If the whole universe has no meaning, we should never have found out that it has no meaning: just as, if there were no light in the universe and therefore no creatures with eyes, we should never know it was dark. Dark would be a word without meaning.”
- C.S. Lewis

The Gift of Prophecy...

2009-10-31T03:39:00.000+08:00

Thank God so much for a wonderful MSN conversation earlier. A dear bro gave me some feedback, which I really appreciated a lot. Then we chatted a bit more, and we ended up talking about our callings. He shared that he wasn't sure, but had a gameplan on hand. It sounded fine, and it is a sensible plan... but at that moment in time, as I was listening to him share, a particular insight into this brother's situation came into my mind, and had this sense that God wanted me to speak this particular insight to this bro.

So I shared this insight with him, and he shared that he too thot so! And he said that this seems that God has been bringing to his attention recently during one of his quiet times.

Wow! thank God for the insight that He gave me. I'm sharing this, because I thought it would be good to record down and trace out how God gives a particular word of prophecy. Hee. Have been exercising it, ever since God confirmed through one of the pastors during altar call that day during the Global Conference that He has given me the gift of prophecy.

Anyway, this is strictly an impressionistic and experiential journal... so please don't draw any doctrinal conclusions from this entry! All spiritual experiences and conclusions are to be strictly, soundly and rigorously tested against the Scriptures!

Haha. I guess I've always wondered how do prophets get their insights and so on? Well, the Bible mentions that there are false prophets who see visions of their own imaginations, as well as true prophets. So how do we know which ones are the true ones, and the 'pirated' ones?

The iron rule is: if what the prophet says comes true, that prophet is a true prophet. Otherwise not. And the Law went on to say, terminate the false prophet, because he is leading you astray!

What about New Testament times? Well, in the book of Acts, there are Christian prophets who have foretold future events, like the prophet Agabus who was sent to Paul to let him know what would happen to him in Jerusalem.

Anyway, from what I understand, we're still in the church age today, and yes, there is the office of the prophet, along with the offices of pastor, teachers, evangelist and so on. But there are the gifts of prophecy, pastoring, teaching, evangelism and so on. The gifts are separate from the offices. So it means a pastor can have the gift of prophecy, and a prophet can have the gift of pastor and so on. (Again, please correct me if I'm wrong! Thanks...)

So, about gift of prophecy... how does it look like?

Well, even as a young Christian, I realised I was able to sense whether a person wasn't doing well in his/her walk with the Lord, to the point of leaving church or falling away even. But I wasn't sure, so I just sat down and watched. And gosh, it really did turn out to be so. Even now, I have this sense of being able to sense when one's spirit is not right with God for whatever reasons... be it pride or dryness or disappointment or bitterness, etc. And I've realised that it doesn't matter whether the person is serving in a very high leadership position in church, or is simply a visitor.

And I've also been able to sense the opposite, when a person has a truly good spirit and heart for God, even tho external indicators might seem the opposite. E.g. the guy had to step down, the guy is struggling with some emotional issues or even sins... and yet, I sense strongly through the Spirit that the Lord sees the person's genuine heart of brokenness.

And to my surprise, what I sense spiritually is accurate. It's been very consistent over the years.

So I think it's like having a very sensitive radar. But I need to be walking very closely to God and ask His Holy Spirit to help me make sense of my readings correctly. Like, a radar operator thinking that big blog in the ocean is a killer submarine, but actually, it's just a killer whale. So from time to time, I sense correctly, but interpret wrongly. And I've come to learn that the interpretation needs to be given by the Holy Spirit himself, not the human interpretations of men. In order to know, I need to ask the Lord what He means by this particular sensing.

If i remember correctly, there are two types of "telling" in prophecy: fore-telling and forth-telling. Fore-telling is basically predicting future events before they happen. Forth-telling is proclaiming what is currently happening now, in order to help wake up the listeners' ideas... or open their eyes, or encourage and comfort the listeners. The prophets of the Old Testament did both.

I think the forth-telling part... I discovered something new today. That I can see a set of circumstances, and immediately, God gives me a clear view of what is actually happening in the big scale of things. Sort of like a God's-eye view of a battlefield... How do I arrive at these insights? I don't know, honestly! They just come... of course, sometimes they don't come clearly, so I need to sit down, fast and pray and wait upon God. Only then do I get a clearer sense of what He wants to say, and occasionally, He impresses on me HOW to say it. Hee. Like how God helped Nathan the prophet come up with a creative way to bring the hard truth of judgement to King David when he had committed adultery and murder.

Also, there are plenty of times a particular verse comes to mind. So I need to take time to pray through the verse, and ask God for His input. What is He trying to say to me here? Am I hearing Him correctly or is it just my mind speaking? And so on.

And well, could these "sensings" be due to natural human empathy? I wouldn't discount these, because I naturally have a high level of empathy. But perhaps God also works through the natural. But, yes, I definitely have received supernatural insights into situations that don't seem to be what they actually are. So have to do forth-telling lor. Scary actually. But that's the life of a prophet... sometimes he/she has to be the bearer of bad news.

And for fore-telling? Well, there are particular times I receive a strong sense that God says something. Recently, I was fasting and praying for my DMM, when God gave me a particular word of prophecy for one of the sisters. So I shared this with the sister, that God said that this will come to pass. Actually, I really was going out on a limb, 'cos I didn't have any reasonable basis upon which to tell that sister. But... a few days later, this sister replied back to me, and told me that God had shown her that the prophecy had come true!

I was stunned, but very encouraged. Haha... so thank God for His grace to me, that He allows an unworthy fellow like me to experience His wonderful power so real! :)

So yah, think these are some ways how I see the gift of prophecy being manifested in my life. But no matter how impressive the gift of prophecy may seem, or how important it may be... the gift of prophecy will fade away. It is possible for me to prophesy without love in my heart. After all, Jesus warned that there will be those who try to say to Him, "Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name and perform many miracles?" But His reply to them would be: "I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!"

So I really tremble, because I know that without love in my heart, the gift of prophecy is nothing, and I'll only be a hollow vessel, a clanging gong. That's why it is so crucial that I walk closely with God every day...

Nerf Thy Neighbour As Yourself!

2009-10-30T13:35:00.002+08:00

Oh, just to add: I'll be having a nerfwar with Matthew and Jeremy tomorrow at Matthew's place. Matthew's one of the P6 boys in my CG. Weizhu's coming along, and Matthew's dad too. Hope more bros can join us!

But that's not the only thing I want to say. I was very heartened by Matthew's parents' generosity. Matthew's dad helped to book a function room for us to play with our Nerf guns... and Matthew's mum, Marianne, will be baking pizzas for us! Wow. Thank God for Matthew's parents.

So yes, WZ and I are excited, because this is more than a fun game. It's an opportunity to do cross-generational ministry. :) LOL. In a way, I guess I feel like we're taking the "non-official" route of attempting a ministry. Not going the "official" way... but of course I've kept Hong Teck, Soo Feng and the parents in the loop for accountability. :)

Personally, I've found that starting up a ministry is something like starting up a new business. :) You start up a ministry, in response to a perceived need, just like how you start up a business in response to a perceived demand. I'm not saying that ministry = business, for ministry isn't really in the sense of making a profit, but rather, meeting a need (correct me if I'm wrong!). But yeah, sometimes when you try to start up a ministry, there are times you'll not succeed for various reasons:

i. the need is not there.
ii. God says, for whatever reasons, "not now", or "not here".
iii. not enough co-workers / lack of knowledge / skills / finances
iv. discouragement / spiritual warfare / etc
v. there is indeed a need, but the size of the need may be too small to be feasible for a ministry at this moment in time...

But yes, just give it a try, if you feel that God is calling you to go out and minister to a particular group of people. Why not? Just pray, ask God for His assurance and guidance, and then go in the strength you have. Is He not sending you?

And I think one of the greatest joys and thrills of serving in ministry is the feeling of God's pleasure, that you are doing what He wants you to do, and really sensing His anointing come upon you powerfully, as you do the things He wants you to do! :D And it's so awesome to behold, because you see yourself doing the very thing you know is impossible for you... this really is seeing the Holy Spirit working in you and through you! Hallelujah! Jesus is real, He is powerful, He is alive and He loves to use el cheapo jars of clay like you and me! :)

This is really ministry, not by human strength or ability, but by the supernatural power of the Holy Spirit! It is so thrilling to see the invisible God visibly working before your very eyes, like how the invisible wind make the trees tremble visibly.

Anyway, I just want to take this moment to thank God so much for Hong Teck. Learnt so much from watching his life. He's a really great minister of Christ. And I really appreciate how, when I approached him with my ideas, he encouraged me to go ahead and give it a try, instead of critiquing its feasibility excessively! And that he trusts us with the freedom to try things out... even when we make mistakes along the way. And when we make mistakes, he will quickly step in to correct, gently guide and suggest how we can improve. Hong Teck really sets an example for us when it comes to modelling servant leadership. :) He not only leads people... he helps the people under him discover their God-given strengths and callings... and helps them become leaders too! :) Thank God for you, Hong Teck! Really. =D You really set a great, great example for us all both in doing and in being His. :D

Ministry is a Lifestyle

2009-10-30T13:00:00.000+08:00

Not much posting since last week... but that doesn't mean nothing much happened! Hahaha... ironic, isn't it? But yeah, there's a time to work and a time to rest and think...

Anyway, just want to thank God for some wonderful things that happened. Haha. Was sharing with Clarence yesterday over dinner how God has been helping me see that ministry is more than just a role or a responsibility or an appointment. Ministry is a lifestyle.

It's been very exciting, seeing how God has sent me wonderful like-minded fellow ministers to form a drama team for HopeKids ministry. Very glad, 'cos the workload is so much lighter now, and the joy shared is multiplied! Hallelujah! :D Reminds me of how God sent along brave and mighty men to join David when he was on the run from King Saul, and they became part of David's army.

But not just ministry. Also in the workplace, the Spirit has been prompting me (also reminding me of the great advice that I got from my team leader in my prev workplace) to take the initiative to help my colleagues with their stuff where possible. And same at home. To bless my dad with a good healthy massage - esp so now that he's getting old. Even helping my maid with computer stuff. :)

And various people that God sent along my path. So, putting all these things together, I was reminded of this passage that I read from Matthew, about how as Jesus went around teaching and preaching, He also ministered to the people He met along the way.

Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people. 24News about him spread all over Syria, and people brought to him all who were ill with various diseases, those suffering severe pain, the demon-possessed, those having seizures, and the paralyzed, and he healed them

So, that's what I think God is teaching me recently... that ministry is more than doing roles and responsibilities in church ministry... ministry is a lifestyle, meeting others' needs wherever you are!

Haha. Oh yeah want to thank God too for being able to be a lobang to bless a friend too. 'Cos just found out this week that my boss needs illustrators to do some children's storybooks. LOL. Immediately, this friend's name came to mind, since I'd worked with him/her on a children's storybook before for a competition. So I liaised, and the long story short: he/she'll be meeting my boss tml to discuss the possibility of doing freelancing. :) Really praise God that He can use this particular work that I'm in, to help bless others in their careers too! (And haha, coincidentally, we bumped into each other the next day just near our workplaces and had a good short catchup. God's hand is at work!)

Ok, gotta go off, still got work to clear. But thank God for the joy of being able to be a minister of Christ wherever I go. Let's set apart Christ as Lord in our hearts, that we may be able to carry around the aroma of Christ wherever we go. Let's let our light shine before men, so that they may see our good deeds and praise our Father in heaven! Amen? =)

2009-10-28T00:56:00.000+08:00

Peter Truong, one of our brothers from Hope Brisbane - he's a travelling evangelist btw, has just finished 40 days of fasting from solid food! (Liquid diet)... wow. I'm really inspired by this brother's life of faith and passion to do God's will. :)

And I've experienced so many times the power of a surrendered heart made spiritually more ready by fasting... hmm... maybe I should try going on a liquid fast for a few days this week? :) I'm really eager to see God do more work in and through my life to those around me!

Testimony of Chew Chor Meng

2009-10-27T23:45:00.000+08:00

Testimony 2of2 - The best bloopers are a click away

2009-10-26T19:05:00.000+08:00

I also want to share another thanksgiving testimony too... it's about my dear brother in Christ, Andrew (my neighbour).

The background to this story is that Andrew has been searching for a job ever since he graduated from poly. Initially, he got a job offer from ST Aerospace... and a few other job offers too! So that's a real blessing already for him, especially considering that he's a fresh poly grad, and had been serving very hard as a unit leader in the PolyDINS ministry.

Still, Andrew decided to pray and think through it before accepting the ST job offer. Since the job would mean that he would be bonded for 7 years (yes... job security, right?) and may need to work very long hours... he was fine with that actually, but was thinking whether it's what God has in mind for him to do.

He realised that he prefers to interact with people and help them... so he decided to try going for a NTUC employability coach career, as it can help others find jobs during this difficult time. Well, that meant that Andrew would have to turn down the ST job. So Andrew did.

But... even tho the NTUC people liked him a lot and wanted him, there wasn't any vacancies left! Sad liao. I asked Andrew how did he feel? He was genuinely fine, and I could sense that he really trusted God with great peace in his heart, having surrendered so completely to God this job search. Wow.

So Andrew decided to try other jobs search and so on. Finally, he decided to take on a temp job in the meantime, and last Friday, he got me to teach him Photoshop and Dreamweaver so that he could be prepared for his temp job, which was supposed to be TODAY - i.e. he would have to sign a contract to work for a year.

But... an hour later after he had left my place, he suddenly called me back. He asked me whether I could help him reply to an email. I sensed from the tone of his voice that he was feeling very ... shocked/surprised/stunned.

When I saw the email that he had received, I understood why. The email was from NTUC. The person apologised for the delay, and told him that they finally have a vacancy for Andrew! Andrew was really so speechless. Haha... he was really so grateful to God, for God honouring Andrew's faith and decision to honour Him with his job search. Because the NTUC job was the one that Andrew really wanted, because it's a job that will bless others and extend God's kingdom even more... and God gave it to him at the very last minute! As Andrew said, "God is so faithful. He has never short-changed me." Haha... AMEN, BROTHER! :D

So I am sharing this testimony with you, dear friends... seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness... and all the things that you need will be added unto you in due time! :) Honour God with your decisions, and He will honour you! :D

2009-10-26T18:38:00.002+08:00

Whew. Another fun day at the office. :D Thank God for a good time! Went for a meeting with the good people at KooBits. Really very impressed by their entrepreneurial attitude and can-do spirit. LOL. After being a software developer for 2 years, it's good to be on the customer side finally... but really, they're very professional! :) They actually tested their software for 2 whole MONTHS! Majorly impressed.

Yes, I really enjoyed myself at the meeting. My colleague feels the same way too! :) Haha...

Anyway, want to thank God for His help with all the work so far. :) And thank God... really had a very good chat with my colleague. I'm very encouraged to see how God has been using me in the workplace... my colleagues like me a lot, and my boss said that people warm up to me very quickly. And yeah, one of my colleagues was saying that she can see that the kids will definitely love me. Wow... praise God... He alone deserves all the glory.

Matthew 5:16
In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.

LOL. I was very pleasantly surprised and encouraged to hear all these affirmations. :) Hee... Thank God too for my boss and my colleagues. Very blessed by them! :D Ah, it's really not I, but Christ who lives in me. I'm very encouraged that God has put me in the right place where He gives me room to flourish and develop the talents He has given me. Praise the Lord for all His faithfulness!

Psalm 18:32-36
32 It is God who arms me with strength
and makes my way perfect.

33 He makes my feet like the feet of a deer;
he enables me to stand on the heights.

34 He trains my hands for battle;
my arms can bend a bow of bronze.

35 You give me your shield of victory,
and your right hand sustains me;
you stoop down to make me great.

36 You broaden the path beneath me,
so that my ankles do not turn.

:) Anyway, think a door for effective ministry has been opened to me here in this workplace. Can see how God has been giving me opportunities to share my Christian values to my colleagues, both in words and actions. An ambassador of Christ in the marketplace... wow. Really very grateful that God is choosing to use even someone like me. But precisely, not I, but Christ who lives in me. Ha... sigh... I really do hope and pray that I can be more and more Christlike in everything I do, including my work. And erm, that includes coming in on time. :P I still struggle every single day! But the Lord is faithful, and He will strengthen me with His Holy Spirit daily to do His will and His work! Amen!

2009-10-26T03:24:00.000+08:00

Procrastination. What a horrible monster. I really have to struggle against it... and it's so bad that I literally get gastric pain and have to grit my teeth, just to knuckle down and do the work.

2009-10-23T10:54:00.002+08:00

Huaqiang and Sarah's baby is a GIRL! :)

How Should One Respond to Someone You're Not Interested In?

2009-10-23T03:55:00.004+08:00

You know, for all the great and helpful advice in my church's BGR framework, I think it may not have addressed sufficiently one thing: how we should respond to someone who has expressed interest in us, but we are not interested in them.

I think ignoring them and avoiding any further contact with them may not be a godly thing to do... even if the natural tendency is to avoid (and I have indeed experienced a sister who expressed interest in me before, but I was turned off... and avoided her. I wonder now how she felt.). Perhaps we could do our best to be kind and considerate to the other person's feelings? Of course, some isolation may be necessary in a few cases, but perhaps a gentle explanation may help to reduce or even eliminate any awkwardness. Because ultimately, we are brothers and sisters in Christ, in the family of God. And we are commanded to make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. I believe we are called not to live solely by our natural instincts or reasoning anymore, but to live by the Spirit. Even if our natural response is to withdraw in order to protect ourselves, perhaps it would be the better thing to take the risk to communicate, especially if you know the other person to be sufficiently mature. Not to live naturally anymore, but to live supernaturally.

So, because of this, it seems to me that, generally, we brothers in church are expected to take the initiative (and the accompanying risks that follow with such initiative), but I think... perhaps a lot of the sisters may not respond graciously and with a gentle spirit, actually. So I think a lot of us brothers are very chary about taking the initiative... and it's not healthy in the long run. I don't know... it's just my perception. What do you think? :) I'd be very interested to hear opinions from both sides!

2009-10-23T02:07:00.000+08:00

Hmm. Was talking with a dear friend just now, and I did something I thought this friend would find funny, but think the Spirit was urging me to think twice. So thought about it... quickly corrected what I did, and apologised to this friend. And yes, my friend confirmed my niggling doubts.

It's very interesting, because besides prompting me, I think the Holy Spirit also led me to another blog, where something jialat had happened to another friend, and she was terribly upset, and how a brother comforted her. So through that, I think God was showing me how I could respond better, by learning from the other brother's example. :)

So yup... wow, thank God for His grace and mercy despite my ignorance. Teaching me the way that is good and right... think He has taught me a lesson through this experience. Thanks also to my friend for the grace that he/she showed me.

Gosh. Can only ask God for His forgiveness for my insensitivity... and thank Him for his grace too. What a powerful lesson here... I think God has helped me grow in maturity through this experience.

Psalm 139:23-24
Search me, O God, and know my heart;
test me and know my anxious thoughts.
See if there is any offensive way in me,
and lead me in the way everlasting.

The Comfort of the Cross

2009-10-23T01:50:00.003+08:00

From John Shore's blog:

Here are six truths about suffering—and four steps to relieve it—that should prove comforting to any Christian in pain:

God didn’t cause our suffering. God never, ever wants us to suffer. He hates it when we hurt. We hurt because pain is part of the human legacy, period. God could, of course, instantly stop all human suffering, but doing so would involve interfering with our free will, which he loves us to much to do. He allows us to suffer, but that we do is agonizing to him.

Christ, who loves us, knows our suffering. Christ proved his love for us on the cross. And on the cross he also proved to us that he knows the depth of earthy, human suffering. When we call upon Christ to comfort us, we can do so confident that He who heals us understands the full measure of human pain.

Christ wants to love and comfort us. Christ’s purpose is to comfort and heal us. He loves us—and heproved he loves us. He is our friend, our bringer of peace, our soul’s physician. God cares; he is theopposite of indifferent to our suffering.

Through suffering we can grow in our identification with Christ. As Christians, we want nothing more than to as fully as possible identify and commune with Christ. Christ purposefully suffered for us on the cross. Our suffering provides us with a means of more fully appreciating the depth and reality of that sacrifice.

Suffering clears a way for God. Suffering has a way of clearing our minds of superficialities, of focusing our attention on the core essentialities of life. When we’re suffering, Channel God tends to come in a lot clearer than when we’re not.

God sees our suffering in the context of eternity. A big part of our suffering is the fear that we won’t get better. But God already knows just how fantastically better we’re going to get. We see ourselves as earthly creatures; God sees us, already, as the angels we will become.

If you’re suffering, here are four things your can do to help yourself heal:

Pray. Ask for God’s peace. Don’t be shy about asking for it; don’t be hesitant about asking for it; don’t in any way qualify your desire for it. God is there for the suffering. And He can bring to you what you cannot deliver to yourself; God, and only God, can make 2 + 2 = 5. When suffering, you need something extra, something beyond yourself, something unfathomable: You need a miraculous calming of your waters. Calming stormy waters is what God does. Ask, and you shall receive.

Share your troubles. Suffering tends to make us crawl into ourselves, to isolate with our anguish. Resist that counterproductive impulse, which only serves to coddle and thus empower pain. Instead, reach out to others when you are hurting. Share your troubles with your spouse, your friends, your family. With them be honest and open; free yourself to be as vulnerable as you feel. Receive their input, their sympathy, their care. Receive their love. Allow God’s greatest power to come to you through God’s greatest creation: People.

Seek the support of others afflicted as you are. The value of being in a support group with others who share your specific affliction cannot be overstated. There’s nothing like communicating with others who know exactly what you’re going through to relieve the psychological stress that is often the worst part of suffering. Look for a local support group to join. Start one if you have to; there are sure to be others in your area going through whatever you are. Join an online community. Do anything to begin sharing your story with others who are already living so much of it.

Become informed. If idle hands are the devil’s playground, ignorance is his factory. Fear and anxiety naturally thrive in the vacuum of unawareness. Learn what there is to know about whatever’s grieving you. When you actually know about something, it is never as bad as you think it might be when you’re only guessing about it. Knowledge really is power. Get all of it you can.

I thought this is such a beautiful piece. In what is possibly one of the most powerful passages on how to live in the light of God's love:

Romans 12:15

Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn.

Oh Lord. Teach me this verse in my life. In Jesus' name amen.

Heart-Gripping

2009-10-23T00:43:00.000+08:00

Hmm... just feel my heart being gripped again. Luke 4:18-19. And so many thoughts again. Distracted. But remember the sermon, YA? :) about overcoming distractions with conviction. Fight on, YA, fight on! Fight the good fight of the faith! Up and at 'em!

The Primary Purpose of the Church

2009-10-22T11:46:00.002+08:00

From "The Primary Purpose of the Church":

"If I were to ask you to tell me the primary purpose of the church, what would you say? Is it to make Disciples? Is it fellowship with ONE ANOTHER?

According to Matthew 28: 19-20 (The Great Commission) the primary purpose of the church is to make disciples. Yet in my work with churches, about 60% of members say the primary purpose of the church is fellowship with ONE ANOTHER.

Don’t get me wrong, fellowship is important. It is vital to the fulfillment of the primary purpose of the church (to make disciples), but it is not the Biblical primary purpose of the church."

Thought about it. Think the writer makes a lot of sense. What does it mean to be a disciple? Love God with everything that's in you and with all you've got - without any reserve! And love the guy next to you, regardless of race, language or religion, as you would love yourself. Walk close to Him and do whatever He tells you to do. And live your life in such a way that other people will see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven. Live your life with faith, hope and love.

Just a thought... am I living out this life of a disciple? Putting God at the centre of everything I do? Thinking about others, and serving and honouring them in Jesus' name - no matter how lowly they might seem? And am I teaching others to do the same, both in words and deeds? Even more than that... am I helping them know God personally for themselves? To seek God? To seek to PLEASE God? To love God? Love others?

Hm... another thought. I think also about making disciples... is also about providing the necessary support and encouragement to nurture and encourage every hurting soul to get up back on their feet again, as far as possible. And from my own experience, and what I've read in Christian counselling... the first and foremost thing in helping any hurting Christian get back on their feet is not more fellowship with other people, but first and foremost with God, Jehovah-Rapha, the One Who heals the broken-hearted and binds up their wounds... Because once you make peace with God, you are able to make peace with men. I find it so true - and I testify from my own experience as well.

Haiizzzzz... I think we really can do so much more to help bring people back to the Father... and closer to Him through our Lord Jesus Christ. Really. Really.